Influences of Crystallinity and Crosslinking Density on the Shape Recovery Force in Poly(ε-Caprolactone)-Based Shape-Memory Polymer Blends

Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) show great potential in various emerging applications, such as artificial muscles, soft actuators, and biomedical devices, owing to their unique shape recovery-induced contraction force. However, the factors influencing this force remain unclear. Herein, we designed a simple polymer blending system using a series of tetra-branched poly(ε-caprolactone)-based SMPs with long and short branch-chain lengths that demonstrate decreased crystallinity and increased crosslinking density gradients. The resultant polymer blends possessed mechanical properties manipulable across a wide range in accordance with the crystallinity gradient, such as stretchability (50.5-1419.5%) and toughness (0.62-130.4 MJ m-3), while maintaining excellent shape-memory properties. The experimental results show that crosslinking density affected the shape recovery force, which correlates to the SMPs' energy storage capacity. Such a polymer blending system could provide new insights on how crystallinity and crosslinking density affect macroscopic thermal and mechanical properties as well as the shape recovery force of SMP networks, improving design capability for future applications.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:14

Enthalten in:

Polymers - 14(2022), 21 vom: 04. Nov.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Fulati, Ailifeire [VerfasserIn]
Uto, Koichiro [VerfasserIn]
Ebara, Mitsuhiro [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Crosslinking density
Crystallinity
Energy storage capacity
Journal Article
Polymer blends
Semicrystalline polymer
Shape recovery force
Shape-memory polymer

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 17.11.2022

published: Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/polym14214740

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM348793189